Daily roundup: Reading cash boost, Norfolk DCS appointed, and stop and search

The Paul Hamlyn Foundation has gifted £1m to The Reading Agency to help it expand the number of disadvantaged children it helps to develop their reading skills. The Reading Challenge will aim to involve 95,000 young people across the country. It currently involves 7,500 11- to 24-year-olds in volunteering to support younger readers and run activities in their communities. 

Norfolk Country Council has appointed Sheila Lock as its interim director of children's services. Lock, interim director of Cardiff Council's children's services, takes over from Lisa Christensen when she retires on 18 July, reports the Norwich Evening News. The department's safeguarding services recently received a critical Ofsted inspection report.

Police in England and Wales failed to record the reasons for stopping and searching people in a quarter of cases, the Inspectorate of Constabulary has found. Its review of 8,783 cases found 27 per cent either had no grounds recorded or the officer had entered a reason which would not justify a search, such as speeding, the BBC reports.

A UK study of 11,000 seven-year-olds has found that children who went to bed later than 9pm or had inconsistent bedtime routines had lower scores for reading and maths. The BBC reports that researchers think lack of sleep may disrupt a child's natural body rhythms and impair the brain's ability to learn new information.

The Consortium of Voluntary Adoption Agencies saw a 19 per cent rise in completed adoptions across its membership during 2012/13. Completed adoptions rose from 611 in 2011/12 to 727 the following year. The number of people approved to become adopters has also risen 43 per cent over the past year, the consortium said.

The children and young people’s charity North Yorkshire Youth has been awarded a £480,000 to support community-based youth initiatives in the county. The contract, which runs until 2015, has been awarded by North Yorkshire County Council, and will enable the Thirsk-based charity to provide assistance across the county to volunteers running projects for 11-19 year olds. The age-range is extended to 25 for groups supporting young people with learning difficulties or disabilities.